The Paola Santiago series is a middle grade Urban Fantasy series by Tehlor Kay Mejia based on Mexican folklore.
Paola "Pao" Santiago is a young Mexican-American girl living in Silver Springs, Arizona. Her mother is very superstitious, believing that ghosts like La Llorona haunt the Gila, which Silver Springs is located near to, but Pao hates that, feeling embarrassed that her mother believes such unscientific things.
Pao used to have horrible nightmares of La Llorona, but as she grows up, she throws herself into science, becoming fascinated with algae and astronomy, to try and replace the baseless fears with knowledge. At school, she has only two friends, Emma and Dante, although they've always been enough for her. One day, when she arranges for them to meet up at the Gila (unbeknownst to her mother), she arrives to find only Dante — Emma's gone missing.
The strange dreams Pao used to have begin coming back, with a darker twist, and a new person appearing who warns her that Emma might die if she doesn't act quick enough. Dante's grandmother seems to know more than it seems, and she gives Pao and Dante objects to help them in their quest to save Emma and urges them to leave before it's too late.
The superstitions Pao's derided her whole life are real, and they want to kill her. To make matters worse, she's begun to develop feelings for Dante even as their relationship grows more strained — oh, and also, that girl who drowned in the river? She's alive.
To save Emma, Pao will have to find the truth behind everything she thought was a lie, and figure out who she is without science backing her up.
The series consists of:
- Paola Santiago and the River of Tears — August 4th, 2020
- Paola Santiago and the Forest of Nightmares — August 3rd 2021
- Paola Santiago and the Sanctuary of Shadows — August 2nd, 2022
Paola Santiago contains examples of:
- Action Girl: Pao becomes one of sorts, rushing into danger to save others, like Naomi, although often those attempts go awry at the beginning due to her inexperience. She gets better, even going into the Rift and fending off thousands of ahogadas.
- Childhood Friend Romance: Pao and Dante grew up together, and as they mature, they've started to develop romantic feelings for each other.
- Defrosting Ice Queen: Naomi plays this to some effect — at first she's disdainful of Pao and doesn't talk much, but she warms up to Pao and Dante after seeing their bravery.
- Disappeared Dad: Pao has never known her father.
- Locked into Strangeness: After Pao uses the flashlight/key, one of her braids and one of her eyebrows is bleached white. She describes herself as looking like a brown Cruella De Vil. Naomi and some of the other kids at the Ninos de la Luz also have silver hair after their experiences with the Rift.
- Pet Monstrosity: Pao adopts a chupacabra puppy as her pet, when most chupacabras are fierce monsters.
- The Call Knows Where You Live: Pao initially disbelieves all her mother's superstitions, but once Emma is kidnapped by La Llorona, Dante's grandmother speaks a prophecy, and she's literally carried out of the house with somewhat-solid green mist and blocked from her family by an invisible wall, she doesn't exactly have many options.
- I Have Your Wife: Both Emma and Dante are kidnapped in order to manipulate Pao.
- Limited Social Circle: Pao has only two friends: Dante and Emma. She tends to get jealous when they get other friends, like Dante's soccer team friends or Emma and Ondina, who it's hinted Emma had romantic interest in.
- Missing White Woman Syndrome: Discussed. Pao notes that Marisa, the girl who drowned the year before the story begins, was mostly remembered for being blonde and pretty, and she brings it up again when the police officer talks degradingly about Emma, wondering if he would still say that if he knew what Emma looked like (pale, with sandy blonde hair).
- Race Against the Clock: At the end of the third quarter, when the summer solstice begins, the barrier between the normal world and the Rift is particularly weak, leaving an easy way for La Llorona to attack the camp, and kidnap Dante so Pao will be tricked into entering the Rift and becoming the vehicle for Ondina's new body.
- Reformed Bully: Marisa, who previously made fun of Pao on the basis of her more nerdy interests, becomes a far better person after meeting Franco, learning about his death, and inheriting his memories. She doesn't even remember Pao at that point, but she apologizes when she learns about the bullying.
